FAQs

General Questions

Please see our Live tour here.

Live also contains integrated lessons, which will help you learn the program quickly and effectively.

The minimum system requirements for Live 7 are as follows:

Macintosh:
Any G4 or faster (Intel Mac recommended)
512 MB RAM (1 GB recommended)
Mac OS X 10.3.9 (10.4 or later recommended)
QuickTime 6.5 or higher
DVD-ROM drive

PC:
1.5 GHz CPU or faster
512 MB RAM (1 GB recommended)
Windows XP or Windows Vista
QuickTime 6.5 or higher
Windows-compatible soundcard (preferably with an ASIO driver)
DVD-ROM drive
We have some tutorials on Live here.
Live will load any loop/sample that is in WAV or AIFF format. Live 5 and later will also load files in MP3 format. Live 7 and later can load files in REX format. Many companies, such as Power FX, Big Fish Audio and M-Audio offer loop/sample libraries in WAV and AIFF format. Please visit their websites for details.

Please trash the Preferences.cfg file located in the following path:

Mac OS X: /User/Library/Preferences/Ableton/Live

Yes, Live has a German, Japanese, Spanish and French PDF user manual, in addition to the English manual. The manuals can be found in the Docs folder within the Live folder, or you can download the PDF manuals here.
Any modern laptop should work well with Live. There is not a specific laptop that we recommend or that is the most compatible. We test Live on various computers and have not found any that do not work. Of course the fastest machine for the money and OS preference should be considered. Searching the Ableton general forum or asking forum users can be a good source for recommendations on specific computers or other hardware.
Live does not support these input devices. You may experience parameter jitters and other problems.
In order to burn a Live Set to CD, you need a program capable of burning CDs, such as Nero (PC) or iTunes (Mac). In Live, choose "Export Audio/Video" from the File menu (in versions of Live prior to 7.x, this menu option is called "Render to Disk"). Set the bit rate to 16-bit and the sample rate to 44.1 kHz. If you like, you can have Live normalize the track, making sure that you take full advantage of the dynamic range. The rendered file can then be imported into your CD-burning software.
The Live Demo cannot save, render to disk or resample the Master output, and ReWire use is limited to 30 minutes per launch. Other than that, the Live Demo acts like the full version.
When the computer MIDI keyboard is activated with its button in the upper right-hand corner of the screen, the keys belonging to it are no longer available for remote key mapping. Deactivate the computer MIDI keyboard to make mapping assignments.

A new Mac with Panther or Tiger has default Energy Saver System Preferences that should be changed to get the best performance with Live and other audio applications. We recommend disabling Energy Saver settings when using Live. As always, please be sure you are using the latest version of Live.

There is a minor conflict with Live's full screen mode in Panther/Tiger. This problem is caused by the new Exposé feature in Panther. Exposé uses the F11 key, and it is therefore not available to Live by default. You can reassign Exposé to use another key via the System Preferences/Exposé control panel. A simple way to toggle full screen mode without changing Exposé settings in Panther is to use the "ctrl" key in combination with "F11." Please be aware that you can also use the small green arrow at the bottom right of the Live screen, visible when Live is in full screen mode, to exit full screen mode.

fig18

Click on the green arrow to exit full screen mode.

Please be sure the file format is supported by Live. Most sound file formats can be converted using a third-party file-conversion software.
Live can load ACID Loops, as they are WAV files. Live will not, however, make use of the specific ACID loop tags. To be sure the imported loops are played with optimal sound quality, please adjust the Warp-related controls as described in the manual's "Time-Warping Samples" chapter, in the section "Adjusting for Good Stretching Quality."
Live can load Soundtrack loops, as they are in AIFF format. Live will not, however, make use of the specific Soundtrack loop tags. To be sure the imported loops are played with optimal sound quality, please adjust the Warp-related controls as described in the manual's "Time-Warping Samples" chapter, in the section "Adjusting for Good Stretching Quality."
Live 5 or later versions do read MP3 files. You can't read MP3 files with older versions of Live.
Live 7 or later supports REX files. These can be loaded into audio tracks and will play at the tempo of the Set. REX files can also be sliced to a new MIDI track. Older versions of Live cannot work with REX files.
Please be sure that the Live Set was not created with a newer version of Live. If this is the case, please update to the latest version of Live here.
If you are transferring from a Mac to a PC, use the "Save Set Self-Contained" format. Please be sure to save the files with the ".als" extension. And be sure you are using the same version of Live. Also be sure that you are using the latest update for your version of Live. In rare instances a file may become corrupted when sent via e-mail; it may be a good idea to compress (using StuffIt or Zip) the file before sending it via the Internet.
Live does not support split stereo files. Please save the file in another format such as stereo SDII (not split), WAV or AIFF. You can also drag each channel of the file into individual tracks in Live and pan the tracks hard left and right.
Live does not support OMF file import.
The audio file can be imported, however the Acid-specific settings cannot be used by Live and will not appear.
You can move the cache location in the Live Preference/Defaults. Change the directory of the temp files in the "audio recording" settings.
Live doesn't support DRM-protected files and this will probably not change in the near future, as rights management is a task that basically has to be performed by the underlying operating system (Windows or Mac OS). The legal issues involved are more than complicated considering that Live is an application that by definition allows remixing, instant-editing and internal re-recording.
Live LE is a recording, production and performance environment for Windows 2000/XP/Vista and Mac OS X. It is based on the same technology that powers the full version of Live, but with some feature limitations and a lower price. Live LE is an excellent first step into the world of computer-based music. To learn about Live LE, please visit this tour.
Live LE contains many of the same features the full version of Live, but with some limitations. This chart shows the differences.
The boxed version comes with additional Live Packs containing samples and instruments, as well as a printed manual.
Sets made in the full version of Live are completely compatible with Live LE unless they contain features that are not available in Live LE. In some cases, Sets that exceed Live LE's feature limitations cannot be opened in LE at all. In other cases, certain aspects of the feature will be disabled or have reduced functionality. All Sets made in Live LE are completely compatible with Live 7, and may have additional features enabled when opened in the full version of Live.
No, you don't have to download another file. Simply enter the Preferences, select the Authorizations/Trial tab and activate the switch in the "Trial version" section of the window. When you restart Live, you will be presented with various Live configurations to try.

Yes, you can switch between Live Lite and Live LE without uninstalling anything. To do this, you will first need to unlock both products. Enter the Preferences, select the Authorizations/Trial tab and activate the switch in the "Trial version" section of the window. When you restart Live, you will be presented with a serial number box. Enter your new serial here and unlock the product (if you have not previously unlocked it.)

Once both your Lite and LE versions are unlocked, you can switch between them as follows:

  1. Enter the Preferences, select the Authorizations/Trial tab and activate the switch in the "Trial version" section of the window.
  2. Restart Live.
  3. Enter the serial for the product you would like to switch to.
  4. Press the "Switch" button.

There are two ways to switch between the full version of Live and Live LE:

  1. You can create a new user account on your computer and install Live LE on this account.
  2. You can exchange your unlock file:
    1. Search your computer for a file called "Unlock.cfg." This file contains the unlock information for your current Live installation.
    2. Rename this file to, for example, "UnlockFULL.cfg."
    3. Start Live. The software won't find the unlock data and will prompt you to enter a serial number.
    4. Enter your LE serial number and unlock. You now have a new "Unlock.cfg" file for Live LE.
    5. To switch back to the full version, quit Live and rename the new unlock file to, for example "UnlockLE.cfg." Then rename your "UnlockFULL.cfg" back to "Unlock.cfg." When you start Live again, you will have returned to the full version.
Yes, Live purchased with an educational discount has the full functions and capabilities as Live purchased for the full price. The restriction: educational versions of Live can only be resold to students or teachers with proof of educational status.
Yes, the EIC 2 is different. It uses a new method of sample organization that results in significantly reduced loading times. In addition, EIC 2 includes a selection of presets from the Session Drums and Drum Machines products.

If you like to remove the EIC 1 samples to save disk space, there are two ways to make sure your existing Live Sets using EIC 1 presets will still work:

  1. Update your Live Sets to reference the new EIC 2 samples:
    • Install EIC 2 and, when prompted, choose to remove EIC 1 samples.
    • Open the Live Set you wish to update - it should show missing samples for all EIC 1 presets you used in this Live Set.
    • Press the Hot-Swap button in the EIC 1 preset and reload the same preset from the Device Browser. It will now reference the new samples from EIC 2.
  2. Run "Collect All and Save" on your Live Set before upgrading:
    • If you want to make sure individual Sets from Live 6 stay unchanged, it is recommended to save the Live Sets as self-contained Projects before upgrading to EIC 2.

It is not necessary to uninstall EIC 1 before installing the new version. When installing EIC 2 over a previous installation, Live will ask you whether or not it should delete the original samples.

  • If you choose to delete the original samples, Live will remove the entire EIC 1 installation automatically and install EIC 2 presets and samples.
  • If you choose to keep the original samples, the EIC 2 presets will replace the EIC 1 presets but no samples will be deleted. Choose this option to retain backward compatibility with Live Sets that use the EIC 1 content. Please note that this option will require more disk space than an EIC 2-only installation.

To reinstall your Library, follow the procedure below:

  • Start Live
  • Open the File/Folder Preferences and take note of the path to your Library
  • Uninstall Live from 'Control Panel/Software' (WinXP) or delete the application folder (Mac OSX)
  • Open Windows Explorer (WinXP) or Finder (OSX) and browse to the library path
  • Delete the Library folder from the location that you wrote down earlier - please make sure you have not stored any personal Projects inside this folder.
  • Delete the Preferences.cfg file, which can be found here:

Mac OSX: /user/library/preferences/ableton/live x.x/preferences.cfg

Windows: C:/Documents and Settings/[username]/Application Data/Ableton/Live x.x/Preferences/Preferences.cfg

Note that on some Windows systems the Application Data folder is hidden by default. To make it visible:

  1. Launch Windows Explorer (not Internet Explorer!).
  2. Select Tools/Folder Options/View.
  3. Check "Show hidden files and folders."

You may need to install Live Packs in order to add presets for Live's devices. You can download Live Packs from http://www.ableton.com/livepacks. After downloading, follow this procedure to install the packs:

  • Unzip the downloaded file
  • Start Live
  • Drag the downloaded and unzipped ".alp" file into the Live application window
  • Click "Ok"

Proceed with any other downloaded Packs. In Live 7 it is possible to install multiple Live Packs simultaneously.

Note: Certain Live Packs are only needed if you own a license for the relevant add-on instrument.